The Student Room Group

AS AQA B English Literature

Scroll to see replies

I'm pretty confident about A(a) as well - like you say there was plenty to say and no page turning to find quotes etc! I think I might have gone on a bit of a feminist rant in A(b), but I've been racking my brains and now have no idea what I wrote. Hopefully they'll think it makes sense!

So glad to be done with Keats. I loved Browning, but I couldn't get with Keats at all - fingers crossed I won't have to re-sit and read them all again...
Original post by HeidiLouiseJ
Section A
I did Tennyson poetry, which I hate, but I needed Browning to do section B :smile:

Part a) 'Godiva', wrote about:
-Characterisation
-Irony
-Dramatic Pauses
-Theme
-Foreshadowing
-Representation
-Symbolism
-General structure
May have threw some sibilance in there, linked it all in with layers of meaning, the poet's intention, reader's response and implication.

Part b) Sounded like a history essay, haha. I did 'Tithonus', 'Ulysses' and 'Mariana'. I wanted to do 'The Lady of Shalott' too but decided against it.
-I wrote about how Tennyson was a family man but had an admirable love for his friend who passed the same year he wrote the poem 'Tithonus', and his inability to cope produced two poetry books in honor of his friend, then added what that could imply in the sense of immortality.
-I wrote about patriarchy, and how women were gaining strength due to being left alone for long periods of time (like 'Mariana' and 'Ulysses' when wanting to leave his wife), because of the female leader and because of the suffragettes etc. and linked it back to the question.
-I wrote about a 19th century perspective and a 21st century perspective, male vs. female.
-How using the idea of Greek Gods was due to Tennyson needing moral security and how the Gods were undeniable and known for their greatness in contrast to the Christian God in the Victorian era.
-Also how 'Mariana' contrasts 'Ulysses' and 'Tithonus', not just because she's a woman, but it's English Folklore, and Tennyson's obsession with fairy tales. (Which I would have linked into Spencerian writings such as 'faery tale' and 'The Lady of Shalott', but had no time so I finished quick)

Then linked them all back to the question :biggrin:

Section B
I spoke about 'The Kite Runner', 'The Great Gatsby', 'My Last Duchess', 'The Pied Piper' and 'Fra Lippo Lippi', I chose the one about significance of speech. I included:
-Dialogue
-Autodigetic narrator
-Implied listener
-Reported speech
-Interjections
-Colloquial speech
-Iambic pentameter being the narrative device closely mimicking speech.
-Dialect
-Italic fragments in poetry implying speech
& then linked them all to characterisation, theme, the poet's intention, reader's response & irony.

Not gonna lie, I kicked that exam's ass. :biggrin:


You're making us feel bad. Get out.
Original post by HeidiLouiseJ
Section A
I did Tennyson poetry, which I hate, but I needed Browning to do section B :smile:

Part a) 'Godiva', wrote about:
-Characterisation
-Irony
-Dramatic Pauses
-Theme
-Foreshadowing
-Representation
-Symbolism
-General structure
May have threw some sibilance in there, linked it all in with layers of meaning, the poet's intention, reader's response and implication.

Part b) Sounded like a history essay, haha. I did 'Tithonus', 'Ulysses' and 'Mariana'. I wanted to do 'The Lady of Shalott' too but decided against it.
-I wrote about how Tennyson was a family man but had an admirable love for his friend who passed the same year he wrote the poem 'Tithonus', and his inability to cope produced two poetry books in honor of his friend, then added what that could imply in the sense of immortality.
-I wrote about patriarchy, and how women were gaining strength due to being left alone for long periods of time (like 'Mariana' and 'Ulysses' when wanting to leave his wife), because of the female leader and because of the suffragettes etc. and linked it back to the question.
-I wrote about a 19th century perspective and a 21st century perspective, male vs. female.
-How using the idea of Greek Gods was due to Tennyson needing moral security and how the Gods were undeniable and known for their greatness in contrast to the Christian God in the Victorian era.
-Also how 'Mariana' contrasts 'Ulysses' and 'Tithonus', not just because she's a woman, but it's English Folklore, and Tennyson's obsession with fairy tales. (Which I would have linked into Spencerian writings such as 'faery tale' and 'The Lady of Shalott', but had no time so I finished quick)

Then linked them all back to the question :biggrin:

Section B
I spoke about 'The Kite Runner', 'The Great Gatsby', 'My Last Duchess', 'The Pied Piper' and 'Fra Lippo Lippi', I chose the one about significance of speech. I included:
-Dialogue
-Autodigetic narrator
-Implied listener
-Reported speech
-Interjections
-Colloquial speech
-Iambic pentameter being the narrative device closely mimicking speech.
-Dialect
-Italic fragments in poetry implying speech
& then linked them all to characterisation, theme, the poet's intention, reader's response & irony.

Not gonna lie, I kicked that exam's ass. :biggrin:


I thought for the second question in section A you are meant to only write about the text you write about for the first part???

Sounds like you have managed to get in lots in! Although writing about 5 texts for B must have been risky. You do need to include a fair bit of detail and be writing at least two paragraphs for each text I would imagine, as long as you have gone into lots of detail with a few quotes for ALL five then I'm sure you have aced it.
Reply 243
im going to have to resit this paper! it was horrific
i chose to do keats for section a which i thought was bearable
but then for section b i did speech on the kite runner the great gatsby and the browning poetry but i didnt know what to write. I had done a past paper on the importance of the narrator so kinda just regurgitated that! how ****ed am i? i mentioned;
The Kite Runner; first person narrator, attributed speech, use of loan words
The Great Gatsby; Nick as a narrator, the use of rumours to describe gatsbys character, and the use of the voice of the omnscient narrator to describe the conversation between wilson and michaelis in the garage and the use of the voice of the media 'the death car...' p111, the conversation between tom and gatsby in the plaza hotel and the way in which this adds to character
Browning; capturing of colloquial speech, corrupt voice of e.g. duke of ferrara (my last duchess), porphyria's lover and the bishop (ordering his tomb etc)

and thats it!
i have basically not answered the question at all!
FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED.
Original post by Unsworth
I thought for the second question in section A you are meant to only write about the text you write about for the first part???

Sounds like you have managed to get in lots in! Although writing about 5 texts for B must have been risky. You do need to include a fair bit of detail and be writing at least two paragraphs for each text I would imagine, as long as you have gone into lots of detail with a few quotes for ALL five then I'm sure you have aced it.


Oh no, you don't :smile: and for the second part, I didn't study 3 books, so I had to include 3 poems and yeah, I went in **** loads of detail :biggrin: thankyou,I'm so happyyyy.
Original post by rhii0512
im going to have to resit this paper! it was horrific
i chose to do keats for section a which i thought was bearable
but then for section b i did speech on the kite runner the great gatsby and the browning poetry but i didnt know what to write. I had done a past paper on the importance of the narrator so kinda just regurgitated that! how ****ed am i? i mentioned;
The Kite Runner; first person narrator, attributed speech, use of loan words
The Great Gatsby; Nick as a narrator, the use of rumours to describe gatsbys character, and the use of the voice of the omnscient narrator to describe the conversation between wilson and michaelis in the garage and the use of the voice of the media 'the death car...' p111, the conversation between tom and gatsby in the plaza hotel and the way in which this adds to character
Browning; capturing of colloquial speech, corrupt voice of e.g. duke of ferrara (my last duchess), porphyria's lover and the bishop (ordering his tomb etc)

and thats it!
i have basically not answered the question at all!
FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED.


Sounds to me like you answered the question - it was about speech and you wrote about speech, how much more relevant can you get?! I guess unless they're being mega picky between 'speech' and 'voices'? I don't think you need to worry as much as you are. :smile:
Original post by HeidiLouiseJ
Oh no, you don't :smile: and for the second part, I didn't study 3 books, so I had to include 3 poems and yeah, I went in **** loads of detail :biggrin: thankyou,I'm so happyyyy.


Are you 100% sure? As I haven't heard otherwise!

I didn't realise anyone studied 3 books aha, as the specification says you're meant to study 2. You must have written extremely quick then! But sounds good, well done.

Have you got a strong coursework mark behind you too?
Original post by HeidiLouiseJ
Oh no, you don't :smile: and for the second part, I didn't study 3 books, so I had to include 3 poems and yeah, I went in **** loads of detail :biggrin: thankyou,I'm so happyyyy.


Yeah, you do - you're meant to write about the same text for A)b as A)a; that is to say, text without the 's'. I've never come across any A)b question that asks for the student to talk about two texts :confused:
Reply 248
Original post by Ra Ra
Yeah, you do - you're meant to write about the same text for A)b as A)a; that is to say, text without the 's'. I've never come across any A)b question that asks for the student to talk about two texts :confused:


Unless you do poetry such as Rossetti. You'd have to do a minimum of two poems, which would mean Goblin Market and The Convent Threshold

But if you pick shorter poems such as Cousin Kate and Winter My Secret, you'd have to add in another one as they are too short.
Original post by Char Wari
Unless you do poetry such as Rossetti. You'd have to do a minimum of two poems, which would mean Goblin Market and The Convent Threshold

But if you pick shorter poems such as Cousin Kate and Winter My Secret, you'd have to add in another one as they are too short.


Seriously? For Section A it says to only talk about one text...unless you're briefly comparing. Eh, I'm confused :s-smilie:
Original post by Ra Ra
Yeah, you do - you're meant to write about the same text for A)b as A)a; that is to say, text without the 's'. I've never come across any A)b question that asks for the student to talk about two texts :confused:


No, they tell you to because obviously, it's easier. It would have specified if it wanted you to do that, the examiner just wants knowledge of the poems. :P Read the mark schemes, it tells you what poems you could have included, trust me, we went over this in class. :smile: You won't lose marks for writing about the same poem, because it's asking for completely different AO's. We get told to write about 3 texts at least in A)b because the questions are normally 'to what extent' and more than one poem strengthens that view so much. :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Unsworth
Are you 100% sure? As I haven't heard otherwise!

I didn't realise anyone studied 3 books aha, as the specification says you're meant to study 2. You must have written extremely quick then! But sounds good, well done.

Have you got a strong coursework mark behind you too?


Yeah, I went over this before with my teacher and she checked with the exam board, it's recommended because it can be easier, but youd on't lose or gain marks either way :smile:
& yes I do, I got a band 6 in my coursework :biggrin: & thankyou. We got trained to death to write quick! <3 x
Original post by HeidiLouiseJ
No, they tell you to because obviously, it's easier. It would have specified if it wanted you to do that, the examiner just wants knowledge of the poems. :P Read the mark schemes, it tells you what poems you could have included, trust me, we went over this in class. :smile: You won't lose marks for writing about the same poem, because it's asking for completely different AO's


It's not any harder to write about multiple poems, but yeah, I see now. I didn't do poems; I did Gatsby.
Reply 253
I think I either did really well or absolutely terribly. Because on section B it was a bit iffy if I was actually answering the question. I got confused with climaxes and endings. But what me and my friend decided is a climax can be subjective, for example if you're having sex, one might think their climax is when they orgasm, whilst others could think their climax comes at the very end before falling asleep. The only redeeming thing is that I did actually talk about the three texts' climaxes in my answer, just for Kite Runner I didn't specifically quote from the climax when Amir fights Assef, I quoted from the end and Baba's black and white view quote. I just hope the examiner is nice and lets me get away with at least discussing the climaxes but not religiously quoting them.
Original post by HeidiLouiseJ
Yeah, I went over this before with my teacher and she checked with the exam board, it's recommended because it can be easier, but youd on't lose or gain marks either way :smile:
& yes I do, I got a band 6 in my coursework :biggrin: & thankyou. We got trained to death to write quick! <3 x


Ah that's okay then, your school definitely seems a lot more organised and up to date than mine was!
Oh goood, bet you can't wait for results day now then :smile: I got that too, 55/60, and my wrist was dead at the end of that two hour exam haha!
I'd done the Keats question on a past paper the day before and had the teacher give me feedback, so a fantastic stroke of luck for me. I likely can't be as smug on section B though, I just tried to up the AO1 with a subject specific lexis.

Do you guys reckon that the examiners are looking for narration and dialogue, or just one of them in the 'speech' question? Because I relied more on the former.
Reply 256
Original post by phantasmagorical
I'd done the Keats question on a past paper the day before and had the teacher give me feedback, so a fantastic stroke of luck for me. I likely can't be as smug on section B though, I just tried to up the AO1 with a subject specific lexis.

Do you guys reckon that the examiners are looking for narration and dialogue, or just one of them in the 'speech' question? Because I relied more on the former.


I think its open to interpretation really.. My english teacher its a combo of language, narrative voice, dialogue and lexis
Reply 257
Original post by fattysaid
haha, omg, exactly the same thing happened to me as well! I did it on Pride and Prejudice, Kite Runner and Rossetti. What poems did you talk about for Rosseti? I did Winter: My secret as an anti-climax. My writing was seriously shoddy, really worried about my results for this exam :frown:


Yeah I done the Winter one as well, pretty much an anti-climax, builds up to nothing. I also started doing Jessie Cameron, build up to the death, but there's a gap in the narrative, so it could be an anti-climax. And it could signify the lack of love, etc. That sorta thing, but I had to bullet point the rest of it.
I'm doing Tennyson, Kite Runner, Great Gatsby and The Anceint Mariner.

Im doing the Part A Tennyson question and guesses for this are: Mariana, Tithonus and Ulysses. Lotos Eaters is unlikely because it came up last year, if not recently. The guess for the second part of the question is about women being portrayed as victims in Tennysons writing.

Part B guesses are for things like opening of narratives, narrators and colours/symbols, but all my novels are okay for that where as some novels might flounder a bit under that question.

As for revision all you can really do is be clear on terminology, READ the texts over and over and write maybe a few paragraphs that link form structure and language together for practice

Hope this helps people! :smile::tongue:
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Ra Ra
Seriously? For Section A it says to only talk about one text...unless you're briefly comparing. Eh, I'm confused :s-smilie:


In part A/a you do onlr refer to one text, but in part A/b, you're asked to talk about the authors works - so if you did Tennysonm you'd have to mention all/the relevant poems you've studied :smile:

Quick Reply

Latest